History

April 18, 2018

Is economics an ideology?

Richard H. Spady, research professor of Economics at Johns Hopkins, has recently published a piece at First Things entitled ‘Economics as Ideology’ in which he explores some contemporary trends among economists and their use of economics as a Procrustean bed to reshape society in its own image, A body of thought is “ideological” when it willfully projects its own first principles on its subject matter and actively seeks, perhaps unconsciously, material changes to bring social realities into conformity with these first principles. Continue Reading...

April 12, 2018

The Social Capital Index: A geography of ‘associational life’ in America

In recent decades, America has experienced a wave of economic and social disruption. In our search for solutions, however, we tend to look only at the surface, assessing the architecture of particular policies or stroking our chins over economic measurements like Gross Domestic Product. Continue Reading...

April 11, 2018

Fifty years later, cities still suffer the economic effects of the 1968 riots

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the riots that began in 1968 after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The riots—sometimes referred to as the Holy Week Uprising or King assassination riots—spread through 110 cities across the United States. Continue Reading...

March 30, 2018

It’s Friday—but Sunday’s comin’

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary, the most significantly tragic event in human history. But as pastor S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000) reminds us in this brief Easter meditation, the darkness of this historical Friday pales in comparison to the light that comes on Sunday morning. Continue Reading...

March 20, 2018

Mao’s ‘rational faith’: How communist China sought to replace God

In light of Greg Forster’s Acton lecture on Whittaker Chambers, the famous Soviet spy who later converted to Christianity, I recently noted Chambers’ routine reminders that communism is not, fundamentally, about a certain menu of economic theories or political tactics. Continue Reading...

March 06, 2018

Misreading capitalism

At this year’s LibertyCon Byran Caplan, Economist at George Mason University, and Elizabeth Bruenig, columnist for the Washington Post, debated the perennial question of ‘Socialism vs. Capitalism.’ Both Caplan and Bruenig have posted their opening statements and it is an interesting and engaging exchange. Continue Reading...

February 27, 2018

Natural law and Protestantism revisited

One of the more pervasive myths surrounding the Protestant reformations is that they represented a wholesale rupture with the moral traditions that preceded, particularly with respect to natural law. In an influential recent study, for instance, Brad S. Continue Reading...

February 23, 2018

Isolationism and internationalism in Black Panther

I finally got around to seeing Black Panther last night, and my early reaction echoes so much of the overwhelmingly positive response to the film. As so many superhero tales do, Black Panther weaves together complex ideas within the often deceptively fantastical trappings of science fiction and fantasy. Continue Reading...

January 25, 2018

Meet Jacques Rueff, the French, free-market advocate

Free-market economists such as Wilhelm Röpke and Walter Eucken made much headway during the first half of the twentieth century, and to some, are household names. There is, however, another significant free-market advocate with whom most may be less familiar. Continue Reading...

December 07, 2017

‘On Islam’: Abraham Kuyper reflects on the Islamic world

In 1905, Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch statesman and theologian, set forth on a journey around the Mediterranean Sea, visiting 80 sites and cities in 20 countries. His travels brought him to ancient lands and some of the most revered sites of Christianity. Continue Reading...

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